Skip to main content

Nourishment



I have been reflecting on the gift of Nourishment that living in Japan has given me.

Rarely have I been very hungry over the last two years. Or thirsty. Or in lack of a home appliance.  

Vending machines full of varying temperatures of beverages. Convenient stores stocked with healthy snacks. 100 yen shops with home appliances for the price of a dollar. Affordable restaurants to satisfy dinner desires. Whatever I have needed, I have been able to find it. Here in Japan.

Thankful that this society has taken care of my basic needs and then some.

It planted the question. How can I nourish myself so I can give the best version of myself to other people?  

More than just eating fruits and vegetables.

What if to be truly nourished, not just physically, but mentally nourished as well, one must embrace the mix of challenging and easy tasks in a day.  Sort of like a mental work-out. Both exhausting work and refreshing serenity. Not shying away from the difficulty and not rushing through the calmness.

Perhaps, this sort of mental acrobatics is needed to nourish the mind. To give it a real mental challenge, followed by a real reward of peace.  A brain-exercise that once completed, makes you stronger. This, maybe, is true nourishment.

Now, Japan is not an oasis with magical powers. It remains a flawed country with complex people, just like everywhere else in the world. 

Although, after reflecting, it is clearly a place that has nourished me.

J.S



Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Take Your Time

  I arrived at the bottom of Mt. Fuji at 7am. Before starting, a man said that I had 12 hours to complete the trail, in order to catch the final bus home for the night. Otherwise, I would have to sleep on the mountain. I thought 12 hours was a sufficient amount of time, but it caused me to rush at first. After a half-hour, I was exhausted and contemplated quitting. The ground felt like sinking rocks the size of tennis balls. The trail was steep.  What should I do? I asked myself. Go back down? Rest? Go only half-way up? Then it occurred to me, go slowly. A motto for life, perhaps. Life may feel fast, but if one takes their time, slowly and steadily, they can enjoy it more. Moving forward, the next 4 hours consisted of a slow ascent up the mountain. I was literally stepping about 6 inches at a time. This allowed me to keep my breath, something I lost at the beginning. Eventually, I found myself at the 8th station, the final stop before the summit.  It was 1pm. 6 hours befo...
1 comment
Read more

Joy

It is Golden Week here in Japan, the time of year when people take a break from business as usual. Instead, this week is reserved for leisure, relaxation and vacation. Golden Week is a joyful time. So, I figured that would be the topic for this month. Joy. It is quite evident that I am surrounded by it. Although this society is known for a disciplined work ethic, it does so in a joyful manner. Or so it seems to me. I can recall passing through Tokyo Station, once. It was about 9pm on a Tuesday. I was exhausted after a full day of work. The train was stopped and I was gazing out the window. Sitting next to me were a group of smartly-dressed professionals of some sort. They were chatting and laughing until one man got off the train. Now, in my home society, in the United States, the natural thing to do when leaving a conversation is to exchange goodbyes and walk away. But, not in this instance at Tokyo Station. The man did not walk away after departing his colleagues. Instead, he stood d...
Post a Comment
Read more

Learnings

This month, Mother Nature showed her teeth by shocking me awake with an earthquake.  Other than that, life has been rather smooth. My work travels have taken me throughout Chiba, Yokohama, and Saitama. Each day has been a world on its own. It has been months since I've spent more than two days in a row in the same town. This has allowed me to encounter the hidden corners of a unique country. And often times, I cannot recognize what is written or spoken around me, which may seem frantic, but has actually made my internal dialogue crystal clear. Like an awakened inner soul that can now be heard. On an opposite note, I stand in front of hundreds of students each week, thus spotlighting my outer self. My chosen words. My body language and expressions. I have learned to take up space with my presence, for this is necessary to hold 30 peoples attention at once. This combination, simultaneously learning about my inner soul and outer self, has been a good learning so far. Perhaps our inner...
Post a Comment
Read more